2009 Registration is Full!
If you are interested in joining our CSA for the future please contact Danielle Levitt to be placed on the waiting list. Can’t wait until June for tasting our fresh veggies, seeing old friends and meeting new friends!
Westfield Area
Community Supported Agriculture
With John Krueger
Happy winter everyone!
It’s that time of year again. The flavors of John’s fresh veggies are now only a memory (except for that one squash still hanging out in my garage) but I’m still forgetting to buy veggies at the store. Although the fruits of the season are still a long way from being enjoyed, it is time to think about registration.
John’s veggies are not bland, tired from their long airplane ride from California, and come in more than 3 varieties. AND, by being a part of this CSA we are keeping a small farmer in business, keeping land undeveloped AND keeping toxic chemicals off the land by supporting organic farming. And all we have to do is eat our veggies!
The price for this year’s share has gone up $20. That averages to about $0.90 more per week. That’s quite a good deal when you remember how gas prices skyrocketed last summer. John had not anticipated such a rise in costs. It wasn’t just diesel either. The cardboard boxes he used doubled in price; as well as the plastic flats he used for planning and transplanting in the greenhouses. Unlike gas, however, those costs have not come down. We all know that these are difficult economic times, and John was reluctant to raise the price at all. Think of the extra $20 as a delivery charge…..just enough to cover his gas expenses.
A share is $515 ($535 after April 1)
2008 season members will have a priority registration period ending February 12, 2009. New members can also send in registrations and on February 13 I will begin processing registrations from anyone. If you are a returning member, I STRONGLY urge you to send in your form with a deposit by February 12. After that day I cannot guarantee you a spot.
Please download a csa member applicationif you are interested
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Any questions?
you may contact Danielle Levitt if you have questions
Categories: 2009 registation
Hello Everyone, Well, we have reached the end of another season and none too soon for my workers and I. We are all quite exhausted and at present chilled to the bone. Washing potatoes and root vegetables during these cold days is quite taxing. It was a difficult year, mostly due to the transition to a new location and not having our infrastructure and organization in place from the start. While I have been doing this for long enough that it should come as no surprise, it still amazes me just how much of a battle it is to produce good quality food. Although I nearly always feel that I could have done better with certain crops, overall I am satisfied with what we were able to grow and provide to the members. I only hope that you all feel the same! Over the winter I will review the results of the member’s surveys and make plans to improve our production and quality with regard to your feedback. I believe that with each passing year I become a better farmer; learning from my mistakes; brainstorming on new ways to meet the challenges and to outsmart the weeds, animals, insects, and even the weather. There may never be a perfect season but I will continue to strive to do a little better each year. I’d like to thank the many dedicated coordinators and volunteers that make the CSA program possible. The encouragement, support and patience that I have received allow me to do what I love- to farm. And of course thanks to all of you, whose financial support and trust in me is equally indispensable. I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and look forward to serving you next year. The share for this week will be: spinach, yellow onions, red potatoes, choice of green or napa cabbage, carrots and parsnips (Montclair and S.I.) or salad turnips(all other groups), acorn squash, celery root, and choice of a green (arugula, tatsoi, broccoli raab or mustard greens). Enjoy! Farmer John
P.S. I will again be collecting used children’s clothes and toys to be brought to Central America by my workers when they return or by myself when I travel there in December or January. Anyone who has anything they would like to donate can bring it on the last pickup or the first week of the 3 week extension. Anything from newborn to teenage will be appreciated.
Categories: Uncategorized
Hi Folks,
In last week’s update I said that I was hoping the weatherman was wrong about the rain predicted. Well he was correct about the precipitation, only most of it fell as heavy wet snow out here, causing havoc on the highways and preventing us from making our Tuesday deliveries! My apologies to all those who were inconvenienced by this, but both Rt. 206 and I-80 were closed all afternoon. We simply couldn’t get there from here!
Although farmers are busy constantly we also spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for seeds to come up; wondering if they will; waiting for crops to grow and reach maturity and worrying about what calamities may befall them before they do. These last few weeks have been extremely frustrating as extreme and unseasonably cold temperatures have damaged and slowed the growth of crops that are very hardy and normally thrive in cooler weather.
I have been waiting for the broccoli raab to form its small florets and for cabbages and cauliflowers to form heads; for spinach to be large enough to bunch. There are still thousands of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and lettuce plants in the field that should soon mature. With adequate soil moisture and milder temperatures predicted for the next week or so, these crops should reach the finish line. The first of the spinach should be ready next week and I expect to have some broccoli raab to offer as a choice with other greens.
For this week the share will be: Lettuce, white potatoes, white salad turnips, red onions, choice of 2 greens (tatsoi, arugula, mustard green, kale), spaghetti squash, choice of garlic or shallots, baby bok choy, and choice of an herb.
Enjoy! Farmer John
Categories: Farm Updates 2008
Hi Folks,
We received some much needed rain this past weekend that has helped to germinate
my final (almost) round of seed planting and enables the fall lettuces and brassicas to continue growing beautifully. Now I’m hoping for a nice warm Indian summer to allow a late planting of beans and zucchini to begin producing; at least for a week or two.
We are transitioning back to the cool weather crops, such as broccoli (in 2 weeks) and the fall treats like winter squash and parsnips, but for now we will continue to enjoy the last of the summer veggies.
I just returned from the Garlic Festival in Saugerties, NY where thousands of garlic lovers gather each fall to share their passion for this unusual and almost magical vegetable. There are a multitude of garlic growers in this part of New York and many attend to sell their harvest. I bought about 200 lbs. of seed stock for planting later this month; and ate enough garlic adulterated food to give me bad breath for the rest of the week!
My challenge for this week will be fixing the potato digger that broke down last week. My mechanic made a temporary repair on it, but as he predicted it didn’t hold very long (30 row feet), however with the help a digital photo an equipment dealer in Western PA was able to come up with the right parts to make the repair. In the meantime we may have to dig some the old fashioned way-with pitch forks!
The share for this week will be: Butternut squash, garlic, potatoes, red onions, choice of lettuce or endive (frissee), peppers, eggplant, and choice of radishes or Chioggia beets, tomatoes, choice of edamame soybeans or string beans, and choice of kale or Swiss chard.
Enjoy! Farmer John
Categories: Farm Updates 2008
Hello Everyone,
We received some needed rain this past weekend; almost 3 inches it would appear. It’s been 2 weeks since the last precipitation and we had begun moving the sprinklers around again. While the remaining crops will certainly benefit from the moisture, the ground is now so wet that it is making it difficult to harvest the rest of the potatoes. More rain is predicted for this evening and tomorrow; I’m hoping the weatherman is wrong!
We are shipping several less common items this week- celeriac or celery root, All Blue potatoes, and carnival squash. Celeriac can be cooked in soup or grated and used raw- mixed with mayonnaise and/or mustard and onion to make a kind of a slaw. The All Blue potatoes have quite a loyal following at the markets, although I find them rather dry. Using them for mashed potatoes helps to solve this issue; will your children eat blue mashed potatoes? Carnival squash is a colorful variation on acorn squash and is cooked the same way. They make great decorations until you get around to cooking them!
The share for this week will be: All Blue potatoes, radishes, celeriac, onions, choice of lettuce or escarole, carnival squash, choice of arugula or tatsoi, cauliflower or broccoli, and choice of an herb.
Enjoy!
Farmer John
Categories: Farm Updates 2008
Hi Folks,
While winter is still officially more than 2 months away, the cold weather is coming on fast! Last night (Sun) we dropped down into the mid 20’s out here in the cold northwestern corner of the state. This constitutes a hard freeze rather than simply a frost, but most of what remains in the field is quite hardy and can endure these temperatures, at least briefly. Several of my workers came to work on Sunday afternoon, to harvest a few crops that I thought might sustain some damage.
We harvested the last few tomatoes that had begun to ripen in the greenhouse and tied the leaves over the cauliflower than had begun to form heads. We are busy harvesting the potatoes that remain in the ground and removing trellising and plastic mulch in preparation for planting cover crops. I will also be preparing ground for planting the garlic crop for next year, which we will begin in about 2 weeks.
We have begun harvesting broccoli in substantial quantities, but there may not be quite enough for all groups this week. Some groups will receive cauliflower instead, and can expect broccoli in next week’s share. For those who receive broccoli there will also be broccoli leaves, which are quite tasty and nutritious and can be used like kale or as a base for cream of broccoli soup.
We are also shipping one of my favorite root vegetables this week- Hakurei baby salad turnips. They are sweet and mild flavored and can be used in salad, as you would use radishes or can be cooked, as you prefer.
The share for this week will be: Potatoes, onions, buttercup (kabocha) squash, broccoli or cauliflower, salad turnips, choice of a green (arugula, mustard greens, tatsoi) choice of lettuce or escarole, ornamental gourds, and choice of an herb.
Enjoy! Farmer John
Categories: Farm Updates 2008
Hello Folks,
This past week we transplanted the last of the lettuces and planted the last seeds for
crops to be harvested this year. We have almost finished harvesting the winter squash, with only some spaghetti squash left to gather.
The only major harvest left is the potato crop which we will be digging over the next week or two. We began digging some of the potatoes planted in my new field and they are large and beautiful, so the hours of work invested in battling the grasses there has proved worthwhile.
I am preparing ground to plant cover crops and for garlic, which we will be planting in early November. We still have some peppers and eggplant left, but this will be the last week for these crops. Broccoli is beginning to form heads so I expect we will have sufficient quantities for distribution next week.
We will be shipping pumpkins this week. There will be a choice of one large or two small pumpkins; some of the large ones will be ornamentals and some with grey or flesh colored skins which are good eating. All of the small pumpkins are good to eat or can be used for decoration.
The share for this week will be: Potatoes, eggplant, peppers, garlic, Chinese (Napa) cabbage, Romaine lettuce, radishes, white acorn squash, choice of pumpkins, choice of two greens( arugula, tatsoi, mustard greens, escarole, endive,) choice of an herb (dill, cilantro, parsley).
Enjoy! Farmer John
Categories: Farm Updates 2008
Hello Everyone,
An unexpected frost this past Friday dashed my hopes for a late season harvest of string beans and zucchini. It was a very light frost but it was enough to burn the leaves of the peppers and eggplant as well. Today, Monday we harvested all of the remaining fruit from these two crops, in anticipation of another (predicted this time!) frost tonight. Depending on how they hold up, we may have enough for distribution for two more weeks.
The parts for the potato digger did not arrive until this afternoon but I was able to complete the repair just as darkness fell. I was forced to make a last minute substitution of sweet corn for potatoes last week, for the Wednesday and Thursday groups, as we ran out of potatoes. Tomorrow we can resume the potato harvesting and I expect to have an abundant supply for the rest of the season.
While it is sad to see the summer crops go, the cool weather crops are thriving and broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower will soon be in the shares.
The share for this week will be: Lettuce, white onions, parsnips, choice of arugula or turnip greens, Sweet corn (Tuesday groups) or potatoes (Wednesday and Thursday groups), peppers, eggplant, celery, delicata squash and choice of an herb.
Enjoy!
Farmer John
Categories: Uncategorized
Hi Everyone, We’ve enjoyed spectacularly beautiful weather these past 2 weeks but now we are in need of rain once again. There is a chance for some showers at the end of this week, meanwhile it’s back to moving the sprinklers around!
Most of the seed I have been planting these past 2 weeks has germinated well, and I continue to plant, at least for a few more days. The fall transplants are growing well, except for some ground hog damage in one part of the field. We will begin to have more greens very soon- arugula and other mustard greens in 2 weeks and spinach soon after.
We reached the peak of the tomato harvest last week and now production has dropped of sharply. There is almost no fruit left in the fields, but I hope to continue harvesting from the greenhouse planting for a few more weeks, albeit in lower quantities. We pulled the last of the melons out of the field this past Saturday and it looks like there will be enough for one more round!
We are at a lull in bean production- the edamame soybeans and limas are not quite ready, and the string beans have petered out. Since fall has officially arrived we will start delivering winter squash this week beginning with spaghetti squash.
The share for this week will be: Carrots, spaghetti squash, Yellow Finn potatoes (similar to Yukon Golds), lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, choice of kale or Swiss chard, melons, choice of an herb, and ground cherries.
Enjoy! Farmer John
Categories: Farm Updates 2008
